Commit To What Works And Avoid The Hype
The first step is understanding what almost never works. Most people I consult or converse with almost universally say they want to lose some fat and keep it off, which is a smart, worthwhile goal that can pay serious dividends with regard to your quality of life, health, longevity, & mental well-being.
Unfortunately, most people are positioning themselves for failure when trying to achieve this goal by chasing the latest 3:00 AM infomercial workout dvd, “miracle” supplements, the diet craze Du Jour, & celebrity endorsed drivel that stares back at you on the magazine covers while you’re waiting in line at the supermarket. I get it – People want variety and instant gratification. Sadly, these two variables may propel you backward in your quest to drop the fat and get fit.
The sobering reality is that most of these media hyped methods are what I call “Hollywood Solutions.” That’s because they look beautiful and sound wonderful, but are devoid of any useful substance once you start to peel the glittery layers away. Mostly, the results derived from their use, much like their significance, is typically non-existent or fleeting at best or their methods are not rooted in practical reality. Compound this with the fact that a lot of these programs and products are not sustainable to perform and can be downright unsafe to practice or ingest.
Most of the products churned out by these companies are simply focused on bombarding us with whatever is flashy and popular at the moment driven by what their slick marketing departments have tested and determined will most excite us into a frenzy and get us to slap our cash and credit cards down before loading up the hype machine to promote their next miracle offering. It’s a maddening process for the average person just trying to drop some fat and take control of their health. The most common end result is that they are parted with a lot of their hard earned cash, are still fat, and they either give up or chase the next media hyped fat loss vehicle hoping for some kind of positive result which never transpires or lasts. An unproductive, expensive and truly motivation-sapping route to say the least.
To be fair, some of these products and methods probably do work to varying degrees and while I believe there are some people out there with good, sincere motives trying to market a worthwhile product or program , most of it truly is crap. The majority of these “Hollywood” programs are churned out to the masses as excitable, expensive distractions which ultimately de-rail your fitness goals, thoroughly frustrate you, waste your time, emotionally drain you and will have you throwing in the towel on your fitness journey.
Unfortunately, a lot of people will get worn down and defeated by this enticing process. Initially folks will get super excited, but that excitement is often followed by a huge mental and motivational let down that usually sends them running into the arms of their favorite “comfort” junk foods and they will stop exercising completely and actually often times get fatter. They will then regroup and succumb to the next shiny, too good to be true “hollywood solution” type program or product and enter this circle of insanity again. I see this all the time and truly understand the futility and frustration of this self defeating emotional roller coaster ride.
Believe me, It’s easy to get excited and sucked in by all this fat loss and fitness hype and blow. I wish I had just half of the money and time back I spent on all the gadgets, gimmicks and God awful fitness programs I sampled over the years. And I have been around the proverbial fitness block with the mileage to show for it! Check out my humbling fitness journey as proof.
Don’t drive yourself crazy chasing fitness hype!
I used to be embarrassed by these admissions until I just chalked it up to learning from experience and evolving my mindset to truly focus on timeless foundational strategies that got me to my fat loss and fitness goals in a safe and sustainable manner. I know it’s tough navigating through all the fat loss information, nutritional theories, weight loss organizations, government fitness recommendations, attractive health “experts,” internet geniuses and so on that seem to bombard us 24/7.
But don’t despair, I have been down the road of erroneous fat- loss programs encompassing books, seminars, supplements, workshops, certifications, tons of articles, well meaning-but misguided friends and colleagues, and my cousin Basil to name a few. So I know what it’s like to bask at these various fountains of misinformation and get no results.
OK, I have touched upon what to avoid and why they don’t work and their associated pitfalls. Let’s face it – “Get Fit Quick” schemes are no different than “Get Rich Quick Schemes.” Most people wouldn’t fall for buying the Brooklyn Bridge. So why would you fall for some program, pill or gadget that promises to knock 50 lbs of fat off you in 1 week or try to replicate what some Hollywood phony “claimed” got them fit only to discover their fat loss was due to creative airbrushing by slick magazine editors? My solution is simply to do what is proven to work based on sound, sane, sustainable and timeless fitness and health principles.
Now – on to some time tested fat loss principles that will put you on the path to success!
Do Some Form Of Resistance Training To Drop The Fat
Resistance training can take the form of using your own body for resistance ( pushups, squats, lunges, chinups/pullups, dips, planks) or you can train with barbells, kettlebells, medicine balls, dumb bells, sandbags to name a few. Utilizing a combination of bodyweight exercises & weights produces excellent results & gives you a quality functional foundational variety component to your training. Make sure you figure in the time to do a proper warmup to safely set the tone for a productive training session
Resistance Training Is Highly Efficient For Fat Loss Because:
There is a greater caloric expenditure performing resistance training than doing most cardio training performed over the same duration of time. The metabolic processes occurring within your body involved with fat loss are elevated longer when resistance training. Resistance training builds and retains muscle which in turn keeps your metabolism revved up longer. The more muscle you have the more calories are burned at rest. What a great benefit!
When Embarking On A Resistance Training Program For Fat Loss, Position Yourself For Success By Heeding The Following:
Perform compound exercises which work multiple muscle groups. Recruiting more muscles burns more calories. Period. You get more return for your effort metabolically speaking. Make sure to include the following types of movements for the greatest impact to your fat loss and fitness and to cultivate an environment of successful progress:
Squat
Hinge
Press/Push
Pull
Mobility Drills
Multi-plane Movements
Weighted Carries
Crawl Variations
These essential foundational movements will put you on the path to fat loss and fitness success! Not only will these movements prime the body for fat loss and getting lean and tight, these are the foundational movements that we as a species were designed to perform in order to flourish on this planet! Practicing and staying connected to these movements will lead to a life of strong, pain free movement and active longevity.
Check out my training videos that tie these movement concepts together.
Tic Tok Watch The Clock
The clock is one of your best training tools. What I mean by this is that you do not want to lollygag between exercises wasting time on the days you perform resistance training. Take brief rest periods, doing the most amount of work in the least amount of time without sacrificing good training form. Short, brief & intense training sessions are best if you want great results, but make sure you rest enough to perform your next set of exercises with good technique.
Avoid Pushing Yourself To Complete Muscle Failure And Exhaustion
Do not perform a set of repetitions to exhaustion on any given exercise – always leave a rep or two in reserve so as to preserve training form and vital central nervous system energy. Don’t sacrifice quality for quantity when performing repetitions. I am not saying you should not work hard, but work smart & know when to back off the gas peddle.
You don’t need to train full bore with all – out mach 5 intensity every time you exercise. By all means keep it challenging, but you don’t want to be so depleted that you are crawling out of the gym and looking for a spot to puke in the parking lot. It may sound cool or look impressive to train crazy intense for marathon sessions, but it’s not a sustainable, productive or practical strategy that will deliver the results you desire.
Check out Part Two of this article where I will address nutrition – your other partner in fat loss. See you over there!
Stay Well! Take Action! Be Consistent! Train and Eat Smart! Get Rid of the Drains and Pains in Your Life! Value your loved ones and friends and get out and have some active, safe fun!
Mark Mellohusky
I Eat T-Bone Steaks, Lift Kettlebell Weights and Avoid Fitness Hype!
Seven Stars Fitness